Jesuit Future GC35, Fr. Dan Joyce, S.J.

Ignatian Corner: Where are you going, Jesuit?
By: Dan Joyce, S.J.
Posted: 9/12/07

Gargantuan Saints Ignatius and Francis Xavier look down upon the city as a lone Jesuit stands confounded next to road signs pointing in various directions. Below this scene is the question "Quo Vadis Jesuit?" - Latin for "Where are you going, Jesuit?" This image was the cover of a 1972 Alumni Hawk. Inside, then-rector of the Saint Joseph's Jesuit community Frederick Homan, S.J., explained some of the big changes taking place for the Jesuits (formally known as The Society of Jesus), the Church, and Saint Joseph's. He outlined the excitement around the Pope's new encyclical "Populorum Progressio" and the results of the Jesuits 31st General Congregation. Fr. Homan explained the expansion of the SJU Board of Trustees to include more lay people and the fact that the President of Saint Joseph's would no longer also hold the job of Rector of the Jesuit Community. Many really did question where the Jesuits were going with all of the changes in the world, in the Church and on Hawk Hill.This past February, the current Superior General of the Jesuits, Peter Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., called for a world-wide meeting of the Jesuits to ask a similar question about the direction of the Society of Jesus. This is the 35th General Congregation to be held in 467 years. The assembly will convene on Jan. 5, 2008 to elect a new Superior General. They will discuss matters regarding the future vision and focus of the Jesuits in 91 provinces spanning every nation in the world. This event is a rare occurrence and has the quality of a papal conclave in that it will choose one man who will be the ultimate authority for all Jesuits. Kolvenbach could likely govern as Father General for life. The 35th General Congregation (GC) will also likely issue decrees on the future direction of the Jesuits worldwide. When the Jesuits gathered in 1995 they made statements on such topics as social justice, the cultural challenges of communicating the Catholic faith, cooperation with the laity in the Church, issues important to women around the world, and improvement on Jesuit religious life. All of these topics were placed within the context of the Jesuit call to be on mission while in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and to let this foster a unique way of operating within the Church and the many cultures where the Society of Jesus exists.GC 35 could mean changes for the Jesuits in the United States and for all of us at Saint Joseph's. First, the next Father General will likely issue approval of a reorganization of the ten U.S. provinces into a new system of six. Second, the total number of American Jesuits will decrease from 2,800 to level off at about 1,500. Third, schools such as Saint Joseph's will be asking for even more assistance from lay people who share the Ignatian spirituality and educational values of the Jesuits to be in leadership of the mission of the University in a variety of ways. The University will also likely enter into a more explicit sponsorship agreement with the Society of Jesus, making way for increased opportunities to collaborate with Jesuit ministries that serve the economically under-represented. Finally, Saint Joseph's University will be challenged as a place where the decrees of GC 35 can be topics for our classes and events on campus. These decrees will likely concern the communication of the Catholic faith, promotion of social justice and a commitment to a global dialogue between cultures and religions. Will students, faculty, administrators, alumni, and others on Hawk Hill be ready to accept this challenge? "Quo vadis Jesuit?" will transform into a new question of the whole Saint Joseph's community. Will the questions and issues brought up at the 35th General Congregation be questions Saint Joseph's will entertain?
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